The Glawackus

It was difficult to be moving to a new place, and I wasn't thrilled to leave behind my friends and all the places that were familiar to me in Connecticut. My parents waited until I graduated high school to let me know that by the end of summer we'd be moving out to California. I didn't understand why we were moving other than my dad said that better job opportunities were waiting out there. I thought that having his own start-up internet business would mean that he could travel, then mom and I could stay here and keep an eye on the house.

I was going to miss Connecticut, especially the woods. My mother said the house we were living in had been built on one of the oldest former Indian reservations and first properties established in the area. Before that, it was almost all forest and wildlife. There was even a tale of a fabled creature that used to roam the property. It creeped me out from walking into the woods as often as my mother did. She was a Connecticut native and I didn't know how she did it.

When I would ask her, she'd simply say that if she paid no mind to the woods, then the woods could pay no mind to her. I thought it was odd, but she'd never explain anymore than that. My gramma was just as obscure with her own experience of the woods, but I didn't want to upset her by asking too many questions. As I was now eighteen, an adult, graduated class of 1997, and faced with the reality of leaving everything behind, I started to regret that I didn't do more to enjoy my hometown.

I trudged down the steps and entered the kitchen where my mother and father were going over plans. There was an envelope that was from the bank sitting on the countertop and they looked like they were packed with a small suitcase each.

I felt alarmed by this revelation, and approached the kitchen table.

"Mom, dad? What's going on?" They had been so immersed in the paperwork they were going over that I had sneaked up on them.

"Hi, honey," my mother answered first and walked over to the coffee pot that had finished brewing and turned up three mugs, "we ran into some issues with the house, and your father is leaving today on a business trip down to New York. So, I need to fly out to California to sign some paperwork."

"Can't they fax it to you?" I asked, taking up my sunshine yellow mug and walked to the fridge. I brought out a bottle of creamer and poured it almost to the brim. Walking over to the table, I lifted the sugar jar and dropped two tablespoons in, then stirred it.

"No, they need your father or I to come on site, go over the construction plans and then personally sign off on it. Not even our real estate agent could approve the changes without our say-so." She explained with an annoyed sigh.

I understood. At least I wasn't being asked to come along this time. Ever since I turned eighteen a few months ago, my parents started to trust me being home alone and taking care of the house. As I set the spoon down on the table and put the lid back on, my mother pointed at the spoon and then to me.

"Are you the one that's been using the sugar spoon and putting it back wet?" She exclaimed.

"No. I set it down on the table like I'm supposed to and replace it with a new one." I answered, then glanced over to dad, and he had a smear of guilt across his face.

"Honey, that's my fault. I get into a hurry and I'm not thinking about it when I put the spoon back into the jar." he confessed. My mother glared at him with daggers in her eyes, then looked back to me and instantly, the guilt marred her expression.

"I'm sorry, Darian." she said genuinely, and I nodded.

"It's alright. So how long will you be gone?" I asked, taking a sip of my overly sweetened bean brew.

"I'm leaving today and will be back late Thursday night or early Friday morning," she walked over to the counter where I saw the bank envelope and picked it up, "I am leaving you money to buy groceries and fill up the gas tank. Be sure you follow the list, and I left some extra cash to grab some snacks for yourself or some of those Digiorno's pizzas if you have some friends over."

She set the envelope down in front of me and I didn't look at it. Teenager's bluff; never let your parents see your reaction to money they give you.

"Thank you. If I have anyone over, it'll probably be Cassie." I said.

"Well, I don't want any boys coming over to stay the night, do you understand?" My father sternly said to me, and I nodded, lowering my coffee cup from my lips.

"I understand. There won't be any boys staying in the house." The loophole I conjured is that most of the guys I knew were men. They were over eighteen and a lot of them went to college.

"Good." He checked his Rolex watch on his wrist and took a drink of his coffee, thinking nothing more of how I worded my response.

"So, you never did tell me what's out in California, dad. You said you are investing in a company, but which one?" I asked.

"A small, start-up internet search engine company." He answered.

"So, it's like Yahoo?"

"Yes, but they have improved the search algorithm so that when people type in keywords, they will get the results they need."

"What's the business called?"

I noticed that mom was leaning over the newspaper, reading up on the 'Dear Abby' column. Just like me, she didn't have much definition to her figure. She was a few inches taller than I was, and that made her the tallest woman on her side of the family at 5'6" and her body was narrow, with only a small curve of shape between her hips and breasts. I wished that I had more luck from my father's side of the family, but he was the

"Well, you can't say anything about it until the investors meeting is done, but it's called Google, incorporated." He said with a light smile.

"Google?" I snickered a little in my breath and shook my head, "well, it's a unique name for sure."

"Well, if it performs as well as the guys who created it said it does, it should be successful," he said proudly, taking another drink of his coffee, "there's a few investors in New York that have asked me to represent them and determine whether or not I feel the company is worth the investment."

"Well, I wish you luck, dad."

"Thanks, mongoose." My nickname. The one my father gave me when our trail walks in my youth were composed of him trying to keep up with me. I was fearless and had an overgrown sense of curiosity. I wondered where that part of me had gone after all these years that I hadn't even bothered to adventure around the property in almost twelve years.

Dad checked his Rolex once more and stood up from his chair, drinking down the rest of his coffee. He collected his things and mom also stood up, setting her unfinished coffee down into the sink.

"Don't forget to go to the grocery store, and be sure you wash any dishes. We don't want to give bugs any reason to come inside. I'll call in a few hours when I land." The same routine of instructions that came from mom anytime she went out for more than a day.

"I won't." I reassured her and waited for the two of them to leave with their suitcases and to hear the car doors close. The crackle of gravel beneath the tires pulled out of the driveway, and I was beginning to relax. Sometimes they'd forget to tell me something and come rushing back in.

My parents had left me home alone before and it was never an issue. I picked up the envelope and opened it up. Inside, mother left $500.00 and a grocery list. In the past, mother always expected receipts for change and that any money leftover was to come back to her.

Excitedly, I set the envelope back down on the table and got up. I carried my empty coffee mug and my dad's to the kitchen sink and washed all three mugs, turning them over on a towel to dry. I looked at the clock above the fridge, and it was far too early on a summer day to call my best friend. Unless there was a death or a celebrity worth meeting that was in town, she didn't want to be disturbed.

I looked around the house and then looked outside on this warm, June day. I decided it was time to take back my curiosity and go exploring outside of our 100 acre property.

Anticipating the grass was tall, and ticks were in season, I placed on my form fitting jogging pants, then a pair of knee high socks that came up over my jogging pants and then folded them down around the ankle for an added layer of protection. I placed on my hiking boots and laced them to lock the heel. I tucked a spaghetti strap tank top into the hem of my leggings, then placed a hiking jacket around my shoulders and zipped it up.

Glancing in the mirror over my thin and narrow figure, I always had very little definition on the hips and waist, and my bust line was just as small apart from my barely B cup breasts. I lucked out that I didn't have to wear a bra most days given that the weight and roundness of them were easily supported by my pecs. It also meant that I wasn't as attractive as the curvy girls in our school, unfortunately. Thank god I didn't have to endure another year of scrambling for a "friend" date to a school dance.

I swept my shoulder length wheat blonde hair into a tight bun, and I put on a light layer of Carmex across my pout. My face was freckling again, and when it did, I probably didn't look any older than someone who was in middle school. I also capped out at five foot two, and that didn't help at all to contribute to my youthful appearance. I pocketed my Carmex, and clipped a small halogen lantern on the zipper of one of my jacket pockets. It had a compass and could light up our entire basement, which meant that my dad insisted I always carry it if I were to ever go hiking.

Walking into the bathroom, I grabbed a medium sized towel for multipurpose use, and headed down the steps. Opening the fridge, my water bottle that could hold two pints was grabbed and I set out from the patio door that led into our massive back yard.

My parents hedged two acres of sapling trees with permission from the historical society to fence in and protect us from wildlife. The larger trees couldn't be touched, each of them around a few hundred years old and were massively important to the bluffs. The roots alone held the rocks together and the valley beneath it relied upon us to keep them intact to avoid landslides.

I made my way down the slope and then south from our property and walked through the narrow path of trees, often looking back and checking the compass to be sure I was headed in a constant direction. The familiarity of my curiosity filled my mind and chest. I felt like a little girl again wandering through the forest, and I could remember the sound of my father's voice telling me to not run too far and to keep myself in his view.

Now, I was a full grown adult, and my daddy wasn't here to tell me not to wander off. I remembered that they didn't want me going west, and my curiosity was pulling me toward the west. I wanted to see what my parents constantly had to stop me from going over there to look at. About half a mile of walking, the first thing that I discovered was that there was a break in the tree line, and the bluff turned into a cliff with about a fifteen foot drop down. There was a natural path, but when I was a six year old, I probably would not have been able to climb down safely.

At the bottom of the cliff, about twenty feet away, was a small entrance into a cave. My exploration bug compelled me to follow the larger rocks and hop down carefully from boulder to boulder. Once flat ground had been reached, I took a moment to breathe and drank from my water bottle. Pushing the spout back down to seal it, I turned on my little lantern and approached the head of the cave.

The cave floor was flat. That was good; it meant there weren't any immediate slopes or drops that I'd have to worry about. The height of the cave entrance was about three and a half feet, which required me to crouch down, but once I was past the opening, there was a two directional tunnel. I could smell moisture from the right side of the cave, and a musky earth smell from the left.

The left side seemed to narrow the further I walked, which meant I could really only explore to the right. Being on my own for the week, I didn't want to crawl on my belly and get stuck. Even with as tiny as my frame was, I didn't know what was to the left. When I walked to the right, the ceiling of the cave broadened, and appeared damp. I could feel warm moisture hitting my face and hear the sound of running water.

About one hundred feet from the entrance, I discovered an alcove that was mostly submerged in water, with a single ledge off to the side that wrapped around in a broadening crescent shape. There was a wide crack in the wall where the water was burbling from, and the pool was so clear and inviting. I found a mineral spring! It was about twelve feet across and holding my lantern over the rippling water, I could see the bottom and estimated the deepest part was about six feet down. I set my hand into the water and it was pleasantly warm. Maybe about 85 degrees. Definitely cooler than my body temp, but warmer than it was outside this morning.

Before I did anything to take advantage of this rare opportunity, I walked over that narrow lip that existed around half of the pool. When I was certain that the walls and floor were solid, and the ceiling wasn't going to lose any of the small stalactites that had formed, I walked back to the entrance of the cave. I was nervous about someone discovering this place. I climbed up over the top of the rock facing and looked around. I saw several 'No Trespassing' signs that my father put up around the border of our property, and there didn't seem to be any people for miles.

I climbed back under the cave entrance and looked over at the path to the left.

"Hello?" I called out loudly down the tunnel, hearing my voice echo against the unique cuts in the wall. The shape of the cave looked primal, like an animal had done it years ago. I waited for close to five minutes to hear any response from any creatures that might be inhabiting the cave or people that may be in there. When silence was the only response, I smiled to myself and carefully moved my way back to the mineral hot spring.

I set my lantern at the mouth of the alcove opening so that I knew where the exit was while I was in this space that was now adequately lit. It was important to be able to get out quickly if something dangerous happened. I moved along the lip again and made it to another comfortable space where I set my towel and water bottle down. I removed my jacket and set it next to my towel, then removed my shoes and tucked my socks into them so they stayed dry.

There was a rush of excitement pounding through my heart when I lifted my tank top off and set it down. I throbbed in my groin when I pushed my leggings and panties down my bare and narrow legs, relishing in the risk with my curiosity that I could be discovered while I was here. This cave was so close to our property border, though, so I felt the risk was minimal. I didn't see any human markings or claims on the walls like hearts or signatures of 'this person was here' to indicate that people frequented this spring.

My feet were first set down into the warm water and I sighed in relief. The spring itself was clear, and my lantern filled the pond with enough light that I could see the bottom. I loosened my hair from the bun and shook it out. I placed the band on my wrist and then dipped my pale body down to my waist.

I moaned in relief when my feet touched the ground and was happy that the spring was shallow on the end I chose. I settled myself down further into the water until it was up to my neck. Holding in a breath, I dipped under the water briefly, then emerged from the surface and sighed in relief. My hands pushed the water out from my hair and then I lowered back down to enjoy the mineral bath.

Taking advantage of the size of the pool, I swam out to the deeper end and let myself float toward the middle and focused my attention upon the ceiling and all of its wet, textured pores. It sparkled like stars, especially with my halogen lantern providing a single source of light. The ripples of the water also danced off the alcove walls much in the same way that a ballroom globe would reflect light. It was the most relaxing time I had ever spent in years. I couldn't wait to tell Cassie about this place. Definitely a perk of this property that made me sad that we were going to move away after the summer was over.

I closed my eyes and let the water continue to flow around me while the silence of the contained space carried me off into a trance. The beating of my heart and breathing slowed to a crawl as the world felt timeless. My thoughts were cycling through my happiest memories while my naked body drifted weightlessly across the surface of the spring.

In my meditative rest, I thought there was movement I detected from the entrance when the light from my lantern was blotted out for a moment and then returned like something had crossed it. I opened my eyes and turned my head in the direction of my lantern. At the mouth of the alcove was a creature that I had never seen before.

I gasped fearfully and swam toward the edge to get out. I moved away from the creature and quickly covered my breasts with my arms. I pressed my back to the nearest wall and pulled my legs up against my chest. I didn't know what kind of animal it was, but I balled my body up as tight as possible to allow it to see I wasn't going to be a threat.

The lantern light beneath the creature revealed his tawny and black fur in a brindle pattern all over its unusual shape with a long black stripe down the spine of the creature. The animal was large, about four feet in length, had a maw that looked like a wolf, but legs and an undercarriage similar to a cougar. The fur was dense and fine haired as it reached the legs like you would see on the pelt of a panther. The coat of hair on top of the spine going all the way to the tail was longer, like it belonged to a wolf.

The ears were pointed up in a canine shape, but tapered on the end with a long tuft of hair that you'd see on a cat. The eyes were round and front facing behind a long muzzle that ended with a wolfish snout. The irises were small and dark, with its pupils reflecting the light as it moved over my slim figure.

Its hind legs were about two feet in total length and bent backwards at the knee joint, which meant it could jump a great distance and run quicker than I could. His front set of paws were more like long, human fingers with retracted claws instead of being rounded pads. The sound that emanated from its chest was vibrating like a large cat's purr, despite that its face had more features of a mutated wolf with whiskers.

I could feel the vibration of his purring through my chest as he stalked toward me. Oh god, I didn't have anything with me in the alcove to protect myself. I thought for sure it was going to attack or eat me. My heart pounded quickly and the adrenaline was thrumming through my body. I wanted to run, but I didn't feel as though I could make it out of the cave. If I went around the way of the spring, I would have to swim to the exit and he could easily maneuver in front of me.

I was trapped, and I didn't want to scream and startle the beast. Even with as close as it was now, I couldn't tell if I was imagining this creature before me. Maybe it was an underweight bear? I just didn't know. When it was about a foot away from me, I was panting heavily in my chest and whimpering out of fear. Its whiskers brushed against my face and his snout pulled in rapid sniffs of my face and hair.

His maw opened to reveal four canine teeth that were longer than the rest, and all of them were pointed, confirming that he was a carnivorous predator. His long and soft tongue stretched out to lap at the mineral water that was dripping down my cheeks. The texture felt like warm liquid and was quite pleasant. The beast carried the faint smell of pine and lavender.